In China, why do poorer areas have more rules and a stronger New Year atmosphere? The strong New Year atmosphere is actually a sign of poverty; celebrating the New Year is the year of the poor. If you observe a person or a family during the New Year, the more extravagant and indulgent they are—drunk, gambling, overeating—the more they want to wear all their gold jewelry. Such people have the strongest New Year atmosphere. The more miserable their daily life, the more they pursue the festive spirit, even to the point of selling everything they have just to have a good New Year. During the holiday, they spend money like water, boast, gamble wildly, and their bodies are stiff during normal times, but during the Spring Festival, they sing and dance. Once the festival ends, they deflate like a balloon punctured by a needle. Why do many people spend all their hard-earned money during the ten days of the New Year? Celebrating the Spring Festival is like living through the last ten days of their life because they are poor—working like beasts all year round, and only during these ten days can they feel human again. Spending money extravagantly during the New Year, even if it means facing a tough life afterward, is common. For many people without plans or awareness, the intense New Year atmosphere is a frantic celebration of life. It’s like before the end of the world, in the final countdown, people try to showcase the beauty of being alive. So if you feel the New Year atmosphere has faded, it might be because you are far from such environments, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.